We’ve written a lot about the banjo lately at Bluegrass Today, and why not? It is one of the central pillars of the music that we love, even if the instrument and those who play it are the butt of
Music Reviews
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Session 1 – Sideline
While bluegrass isn’t a summer-only music, it’s no secret that the warmer months are well suited to the festivals, camping, and late-night jams beside of campfires and picnic tables that bluegrass fans love so well. Many bluegrass artists slow down
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Three Chords and the Truth – James King
James King, whose knack for choosing well-written songs that work their way into listeners' hearts and minds has helped earn him the title of "Bluegrass Storyteller," has a keen ability to wrap his voice around every ounce of emotion in
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Walker and Groopman Make It Home
As a music critic, I’m used to folks occasionally wondering if I’ve been living under a rock. Now I find myself thinking the same thing. How else could I not have heard about Melody Walker, Jacob Groopman and their progressive
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She Left Me Standing On A Mountain – Larry Efaw
It seems that the annual IBMA convention and awards always stir up the familiar argument about whether traditional bluegrass gets its due, or is getting squeezed out by newer, bluegrass-derived music. This has always struck me as a needless and
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Ten from Nu-Blu
Bands often mark milestone anniversaries with new collections of their music – greatest hits albums, or in the case of the Lonesome River Band this past year, fresh recordings of their greatest hits. Nu-Blu, which is celebrating ten years as
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Bluegrass, Alan Jackson Style
Alan Jackson isn't the first country artist to give bluegrass a try now that country music is morphing into pop, and he most certainly won't be the last. But by giving it a shot, he's giving bluegrass a shot in
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Flying – Darin & Brooke Aldridge
For the past several years Darin & Brooke Aldridge have been steadily morphing from singing sweethearts (Darin Aldridge & Brooke Justice), to a married couple headlining both bluegrass and acoustic country shows. Their vocal harmony and consistently positive music has
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Del & the Boys deliver with The Streets Of Baltimore
Well, folks, The Del McCoury and has done it again. Honestly though, would we expect anything different? The Streets Of Baltimore, the band's first all-bluegrass release of original material since 2009's Family Circle, reminds us why we love Del &
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The Traveling Kind
There's just something about sibling harmony. Most of us who cherish tight vocal harmony have encountered that sentiment, and maybe even expressed it ourselves. And it's plainly true. The similar tonality you find within family groups allows for a vocal